I go to Uni. All around me there are swarms of dedicated, involved, and extracurricular-focused students. There are so many activities that people have the opportunity to participate in: sports, theatre, various clubs -- you name it, someone is doing it. Many people have had one of these focuses for a good part of their life, and it doesn't surprise me when one of my peers says that they've been doing something for six, seven, or eight years. Everyone seems to have an activity (extracurricular-wise) that they've been doing for a substantial amount of time.
However, I'm not really one of those people. I don't say this to set myself apart from others in a haughty way (How would that even work? "Haha, I don't do anything!") -- far from it. This is something that has been consistently bothering me for the last year or so. Being worried about not "doing anything" has coincided with the time that my teachers and parents have been talking about college in a serious manner.
I can't count the amount of times that our local SSO advisor has drilled into us that "doing so many extracurricular activities isn't what's important," but it's impossible for me not to worry about not really participating in any extracurricular activities. Most of my friends have told me, "C'mon, there's something that you're totally passionate about!" This isn't the issue that I have! I love engineering, computer science is cool as heck, and astronomy is scary amazing; it's very easy to see that there's a trend with scientific fields and I.
I have a feeling most people don't know that about me, and that's what gives me the most anxiety when we start talking about writing college applications, and creating good resumes. If no one in my immediate surrounding can tell what some of my passions are, how am I going to be able to articulate them to an admissions officers who doesn't know me at all?
Until recently (around freshman year), I haven't been able to nail down any construtive activities any of these passions. I've participated in GEMS (Gains in Engineering, Math, and Science) camp, GAMES (Girls' Adventures in Math, Engineering, and Science) camp, and have had some awesome opportunities to visit local labs. This shows some of my interest and that I'm willing to try new things, but any other experience I've had with STEM subjects has come from personal research and messing around with computers. I honestly feel that I have very little to show for my involvement in STEM, and that's going to become a major problem once I narrow down a list of colleges and get to actually writing applications.
It also might help to narrow my interests down, and not just say "uh, like, engineering and computer science is cool" when someone asks me about potential majors. I know, know: "So many students go in undeclared all the time, you shouldn't be freaking out about it!" Well, I'm going to have to freak out about it at some point, and why not now, when college is only looming on the horizon and not when I'm actually in college? It's a difficult thing that I may have to come to terms with.
I'm not doomed, hopefully! Now that I have the wherewithal (time, "good grades", pretty good work ethic, and an A-okay from my parents) to actually participate in extracurriculars, I hope to discover an intense passion for which I can write about and account for. Until then, I will keep worrying.
I wouldn't stress out over the amount of extracurriculars! When I started filling out my CommonApp, I could only think of two activities, but then my mom helped me realize that I had participated in way more than that over the course of my four (three and a half) years of high school. You probably have way more than you think!
ReplyDeleteI really liked your post Jazmin. You really laid out all your emotions and were totally honest. Regarding your freak out of lack of extracurriculars, you're totally fine. At least you know what you like and would possibly want to major in! You still have two years to join science related extracurriculars. Stay positive!
ReplyDeleteJaz, I know what you mean about having very little to talk about your potential major. I want to do business administration and I've NEVER even taken a real econ course (now that's embarrassing). I do other things in my life, like music, and theatre and church that have NOTHING to do with what I think might be what I want to do in school. Let me just remind you that you can be the Elle Woods of STEM. She was placed in the law program at Harvard because she was diverse! You have done so much and have so much to offer!
ReplyDeleteAww, thanks, Ln! :)
DeleteI would tell college administrators all about the difficulty that you have. It's good to show the human side that they want to see. After all, finding one niche that you fit into can be extremely challenging. Don't worry about not finding extracurriculars; just join whatever sounds interesting and see where it takes you!
ReplyDeleteI totally get you. For me this issue is mostly related to teacher's recommendation. I'm just always afraid of getting lost in the crowd or the teacher not understanding who I am fully. I agree with Tommy completely. Don't stress out and try to force yourself. Most people don't walk through life knowing what they want to do and how they're going to achieve it. It's discovery. I think that it'll be even more special for you when you find something you want to do because you'll remember the passion that drove you to it. Trust me. I've never been very good at conveying my feelings but when it comes to things I love, I won't shut up. like now:)
ReplyDeleteI'd say as long as you have a passion and you're willing to go out and pursue it, and it seems like you have been, you'll be fine. The great thing about college apps is you get to reveal parts of yourself that not everyone knows about, so don't worry if the people around you aren't aware of your interests.
ReplyDeleteWhen I visited WashU, my tour guide told us a story about a pre-med who got into their competitive program. The pre-med majored in opera during his undergrad, but he was accepted because he was passionate and had the qualities of a great doctor. I'm not sure if this applies to other fields, but remember that colleges want to admit people, not robots who churn out extracurriculars.
Just go with the flow. I feel like people try to present themselves as the "perfect" student by having the perfect grades, the perfect standardize testing scores, and everything else that goes with a "perfect" application.. Instead they are just presenting themselves like all the other tens of thousands of applicants who don't stand out, who don't have anything meaningful to contribute. Go where life takes you and I'm share it'll present many opportunities and "extracurricular", things which will make you stand out.
ReplyDeleteI liked your post Jazmin! Like everyone else has been saying, try not to worry too much. You still have plenty of time left in high school. Also, I don't think you have to absolutely know what you're going to do with the rest of your life at this age, or even by the time you graduate. You'll narrow down your interests with time, I think. Try different things, and you might even discover that you love something totally new along the way! I'm very excited that you're doing StudProd by the way, as Theatre is something that I've come to love. :)
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